NEW RESEARCH: How Improved Land Use Can Contribute to the 1.5°C Goal of the Paris Agreement

NEW RESEARCH: How Improved Land Use Can Contribute to the 1.5°C Goal of the Paris Agreement

Climate Focus is pleased to announce the release of a new report which presents a roadmap of action for the land sector to meet its necessary contribution to the Paris Agreement. The report, titled How Improved Land Use Can Contribute to the 1.5°C Goal of the Paris Agreement, shows that through significant emissions reductions and carbon removals, the land sector can contribute about 25 percent of the progress needed to meet the 1.5°C goal formulated under the Paris Agreement. To achieve this, land-sector emissions have to peak by 2020 and become net-zero by 2040–50 and net-negative thereafter. The report outlines 10 priority actions to reduce the land-use sector’s contribution to global warming, including supply-side measures in forestry and agriculture, and demand-side measures related to healthier diets and reduced food waste. Currently, the land-use sector contributes to more than one-fifth of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike other economic sectors, however, it has the potential to create ‘negative emissions’ by capturing and storing carbon in forests and soils. If we are to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, aggressive action must be taken in all regions of the world.